Testimonials

My name is XiaoJing Lei.Last year, I had finished the course...

My name is XiaoJing Lei.

Last year, I had finished the course of English for Academic Purpose (EAP) with OTEN. Now I am studying psychology course in university as a commonwealth supported student.

I chose to study EAP at OTEN mainly because English is my second language, and to study in an Australian university I need to prepare myself well in terms of language. But when I began studying EAP at OTEN I found I was learning much more than merely language. The study experience at OTEN familiarised me with most of the academic rules in western environment, taught me the importance and skills of verbal presentation, essay writing and avoiding plagiarism, etc, which are so helpful for my study in university.

So far, I have almost finished all my first year units in university with distinction results, which made me feel more confident in pursuing my life goals. A big thank you to OTEN and my teachers for helping me start the first step in my new journey of study.

I never regreted studying a diploma of Community Services work...

I never regreted studying a diploma of Community Services work at OTEN. The outcome of my study has been a tremendous eye opening , knowledge expansion and multi skills development which have enabled me to ophold a high professional attribute to effectively and efficiently work in the disability, community and office environment.

Currently, I am proud to be one of the most eviable case manager working with Refugee and Assylum seekers for Settlement Services International and a community support worker for the Catholic care . This study has also enabled me to communicate, build effective rapport, identifying client’s need and linked to necessary and available services and assist client to become competent and independent .It gives me the passion to explore and assisit the never ending needs of people . With my knowlege and skill acquired throught this study and the practical implementation of those skills and knowlege have been a motivating factor to further pursue a career in the community services.

My decision to study with Oten changed my life in many ways....

My decision to study with Oten changed my life in many ways. I’m now more confident in my approach to work and after implementing many successful changes at work I also feel well respected by my peers.

To understand my journey you first have to picture a mature aged women working in a busy medical practice that had no policies and procedures in place for administration. Documents were unorganised and unprofessionally presented and stored haphazardly. As the receptionist with the most experience in Microsoft Word, I was given the mammoth task of organising our documents into professional order.

I began typing immediately, but Microsoft Word had a mind of its own and one I needed to master. As my daughter was also studying with Oten, she recommended I do the same. It was to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only did I master Microsoft Word and Excel, the course taught me how to implement those successful changes to improve my work environment for the good of the entire company.

I would recommend studying with Oten to anyone. I enjoyed the experience so much I’m now on my way to completing my Diploma in Accounting.

In 2001 I completed a chef’s apprenticeship and continued to...

In 2001 I completed a chef’s apprenticeship and continued to work in the field for the next 11 years. I spent 15 years cooking and found myself working endless hours over holidays and weekends. Most of my shifts were spent looking forward to the end of the work week.

In 2013 I enrolled in a Diploma in Youth Work with OTEN. I was confident I could communicate well with young people and support them as I had with the apprentices I mentored in the past. My only worry was that I hadn’t been in any formal education for a long time and was unsure I could manage the course work.

With the help from the course material and the teaching department I was able to complete the assignments and receive my Diploma in Youth Work with distinction in late 2013.

Since then I have obtained a role as a program worker helping young people at risk of homelessness. I can see the real difference I am making in the lives of the young people I work with and am really enjoying my new career.

My name is Daniel Lawlor and this is how my OTEN course changed my life.

I WORK HOW AND WHERE I WANT TO …. andBAS STATEMENTS ARE A...

I WORK HOW AND WHERE I WANT TO …. andBAS STATEMENTS ARE A BREEZE.

IMPRESSIVE is how I would describe my work life and bookkeeping skills since completing a Certificate IV in Accounting at Oten. Studying with Oten has given me extensive and up to date knowledge of all things related to bookkeeping, accounting and more. I now deal confidently with complex tasks and can work out solutions as required. With my thorough understanding of the accounting process and its application in the real world I can also converse professionally with others in the industry.

EXCELLENT is how I would describe my experience with Oten. The course content was extensive, detailed and interesting. The work was provided through a variety of methods making it appealing. The course contained a good balance of theory and practical work, preparing me well for the real workplace.

OUTSTANDING is how I would describe the telephone support from Oten. Oten answer their phones promptly - “Hallelujah!”. It felt like I phoned Oten a million times, and each time I felt like my call mattered, the teachers were genuinely interested, keen to help and effective. This helped a lot with my studies but more importantly the encouragement and support did wonders towards my motivation, progress and great results.

Like most young children at school, I dreamed of being a...

Like most young children at school, I dreamed of being a teacher. No matter how much I tried to concentrate in class, I would find myself daydreaming about being the one out the front of the class teaching others. Unfortunately due to family circumstances I had to leave school in year ten to work in an office and it seemed my dream would never eventuate. By the age of forty-six I had my own business and three beautiful children aged five, twenty-two, and twenty-four. Even with a house full of children and a business to run, my dream of being a teacher had never fully been extinguished.

So I decided to study through OTEN to become a teacher’s aide. Studying was so new to me and I thought it would be too daunting, but the support and encouragement OTEN offered was fantastic. Once I finished the course my OTEN teacher suggested I go on to do my teaching degree. I now work fulltime as a teacher’s aide and have almost finished my first year of my primary teaching degree fulltime online. My OTEN experienced provided me with the skills, knowledge and confidence to follow my dream. It’s never too late!

OTEN Competition –completed
In June of year 2013, I had a...

OTEN Competition –completed

In June of year 2013, I had a difficult decision, that was whether either missing education in TAFE or keeping my full time employment? Supportively, my teacher told me that I could join OTEN course to complete my course.

The Teaching system was efficient. Lecture notes were easily accessible on student service Website, and then download it from the Learning Material Folder. I did not have to attend class. When there was problem, I request help from OTEN teachers. At a time, I had difficulty of arranging a workplace to complete two of the assignments. Teachers so helpful that they worked together arranged a workplace experience Lab at TAFE for me. I completed my course.

The OTEN course has provided me the knowledge, the required accreditation and better learning skills. The most important was that allowed me keeping my employment. So I could have enough time looking after my family. In addition, the learning process was free of stress, without anxiety; but rather with lot of passion and warm.

OTEN
How do I say thank you to someone who has turned my dream...

OTENHow do I say thank you to someone who has turned my dream into a reality?How can I describe in a few words this new found confidence that I have?What picture can I draw to try and explain the knowledge I have acquired?

I started on my journey with OTEN in 2012.I have worked in my field for the last eleven years. I have worked in three different states and contacted many different colleges, tafes, institutions that offer the course which would allow me to gain the certification I require.I kept telling myself that I would complete the course later, that I would save up some money and then start the course, I would wait til I had more “free” time. I was just giving myself excuse after excuse because the underlying fact was that fear stopped me believing that I was capable of achieving this dream of mine.Despite completing my course via correspondence, from the minute I made contact with my OTEN teacher, I felt noticed, regarded, valued. I was given so much support, encouragement and motivation. It was as though I had my very own personal trainer who kept telling how they were there for me. And they were. Every email I sent was answered,phone calls were made to see how I was going or just to say hi.As each week passed, the reading material arrived and assignments were completed. I could immediately find myself realising how important my role in my workplace is. With the material I read I could directly apply principles to my workplace and explain the purpose behind the decision. I could feel my confidence growing, tasks that I had carried out during the last eleven years suddenly made sense and caused me to work smarter and more efficiently. I was able to ask my managers why we did things they way we did and was able to offer suggestions on how to improve our workplace practices.I know that if I had not been reading the material provided by OTEN I would not have had the knowledge or confidence

In 2013 I completed a Diploma of Management via OTEN with the...

In 2013 I completed a Diploma of Management via OTEN with the support of my employer.

This was a fantastic course which enabled me to examine a number of work practices, explore other workplace options and develop a greater understanding of the scope and roll of my position at a management level.

Via my Diploma of Management I have been able to develop my skills in library management, whilst extending my work area to now include the supervision of IT Support services in my division.

My Diploma of Management has also given me the platform to now explore further education options through both the TAFE NSW network and University level qualifications.

To cap off a fantastic result for 2013 I was awarded the 2013 Kath Knowles Young Leaders Award which recognised my achievements. The Award is to be presented to a staff member within the NSW public library network, aged under 40 years who is recongised as an aspiring young leaders. My Diploma of Management was used as part of my application for the award.

OTEN was a fantastic option for me to complete this qualification and I can’t wait to complete another one.